I learned it in grade school in New Hampshire. Fridays were half days in winter and our PE was going to the mountain for the afternoon and getting skiing instruction. I was in a small poor town with no street lights, we were not rich. Equipment was subsidized for the kids who couldn’t afford it. I do wonder if money to support it came from outside our community. There are a few winter Olympians that I graduated highschool with.
I never realized how privileged I was to have that experience until I was in college. I have probably gone to the mountains less than a dozen times since then. Too expensive, and I have better things to do with my time now.
Engineer working in sustainable energy.
I’m a Mechanical Engineer now and finally am working in some cool cutting edge upcycling technology after working oil and gas adjacent for a dozen years.